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On June 28, 2018 Fortuna, the boutique fine jewelry auction house based in NYC, will hold its inaugural Important watches sale. As an auction house that has never been strongly associated with the premiere watch collecting world, Fortuna has steadily been growing out their watch department. Featured in the upcoming sale is a strong selection of collectible timepieces from a variety of brand names, led by a Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona, Ref. 6239. Read more about some of the most desirable lots that will be offered for sale this June.
THE CULT FAVORITE: THE ROLEX “PAUL NEWMAN” DAYTONA REF. 6239
The famous “Paul Newman” Daytona will leave any vintage Rolex collector or watch enthusiast buzzing with excitement, given their relative scarcity. This particular model is certainly considered to be the most authentic. It was the reference number that actor and racecar driver, Paul Newman originally wore, and the one that ignited the worldwide obsession for the Rolex Daytona with the “Exotic dial.” For those enamored by Rolex’s complex journey of manufacturing and outsourcing before they became the vertically-integrated company that we know today, the Paul Newman Daytona represents a very interesting segment of Rolex history. During the 1960s, a small portion of the watch dials for Rolex’s newest watch at the time, the Daytona, was made by the company Singer. This “Exotic Dial” completely transformed the look of the watch, most notably with the use of the Art Deco fonts and indexes with squared tops in the sub-dials and the introduction of a third color—the contrasting red minute track and “Daytona” moniker.
This particular watch from circa 1968 is powered by the ever-reliable Valjoux 722 caliber manually wound movement, the first iteration of mechanisms to power the Daytona. Both the watch case and bracelet are in astounding condition for their age, showing only slight evidence of wear and tear—an added bonus for any vintage watch collector hoping to make this their grail watch.
MAÎTRES DU TEMPS CHAPTER TWO
Founded in 2005 by Steven Holtzman, Maîtres du Temps introduced an interesting brand concept to the world, which brought together different groups of master watchmakers who would collaborate to develop exclusive timepieces. In essence, every new watch release was a grand experiment of what would happen if you combined the talents and visions of the best watchmakers in the 21st century. The Chapter Two series was developed in 2009 by Daniel Roth, who is credited with creating Breguet’s distinctive look and founding his independent watch brand, and Peter Speake-Marin, who developed high complications for Audemars Piguet and started his own brand. While the Chapter Two series certainly draws some stylistic elements from its predecessor (Maîtres du Temps Chapter One) it also boasts a much more legible and practical composition of horological elements, making it an ultra-luxurious watch that also makes sense to wear.
Featured in the central display is a sub-seconds dial at the 6 o’clock position and a big date display at 12 o’clock. Month and day indications can be found on black anodized aluminum rollers, an ultra-light material fabricated to minimize the amount of force needed to operate the large rollers—a small part of the overall horological challenge of creating a triple calendar that updates instantaneously. This timepiece is powered by the caliber SHC01 automatic winding movement, encased in an 18k white gold tonneau case, fitted with hand-sewn black alligator straps, and a white gold deployant buckle.
CHOPARD LUC REGULATEUR LIMITED EDITION REF. 16/1874
This 18k yellow gold Chopard LUC Regulateur is a limited edition timepiece—number 112 of 250 ever made. It comes with a host of valuable features, including an 8-day power reserve, a dual time zone display, a date window, as well as both the Geneva seal and COSC Chronometer endorsements. It is a shining example of the level of prestige Chopard holds within the realm of luxury watches.
As the name suggests, the design of this timepiece was modeled after the master clocks or regulators that are used for reference in traditional watchmaking workshops, in which the hours, minutes, and seconds are displayed in separate dials to allow watchmakers to easily set the time. The watch is powered by the caliber 1.98.37089, which was also awarded the COSC certification, marking the chronometer movement as truly exceptional in its timekeeping ability. Although the watch is highly complicated, the overall look of the watch case maintains its elegance and is relatively thin at 11mm.
BREGUET CLASSIQUE COMPLICATIONS TOURBILLON REF. 3657
This watch embodies the tradition and masterful craftsmanship of all fine watchmaking. The beautifully hand-engraved guilloche dial displays a wealth of information, as well as a harmony of proportions. In the 12 o’clock position, there is the Roman numeral time display with the classic blue steel Breguet-style watch hands. On either side of the time displays are fan-shaped sectors for the 55-hour power reserve, and a retrograde 24-hour indication. Located at 6 o’clock is the one-minute tourbillon carriage, combined with the seconds display. On the caseback, masterfully engraved with scroll motifs, is a partial display of the 24-jewel, caliber 560.1 manually wound movement. It is fitted with a brown crocodile strap and yellow gold folding clasp.
ROLEX COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA REF. 16518
The ultimate Rolex chronograph, combining the functions of a Daytona with the enhanced water-proof protection of the Oyster Perpetual case and screw-down chronograph pushers, and a superlative chronometer certification, promising a watch that exceeds worldwide chronometer standards. The watch is powered by the caliber 4030 self-winding movement, an improvement by Rolex on Zenith’s El Primero, the first widely used automatic winding movement in the world and the last movement Rolex used in the Daytona before the in-house caliber 4130, which is used today. For collectors interested in the history of the automatic movement, this is certainly an important watch to have. The 18k yellow gold case of the watch and original brown leather strap with the yellow gold folding clasp add a touch of sophistication to this highly functional timepiece.
The Important Watches auction will be held live online and in the Fortuna Showroom, at 608 5th Avenue, Suite #507 on June 28, 2018 at 12 PM. Public previews of the collection will be held from June 18-22 and June 24-27 also at the Fortuna Showroom; weekdays 10am-5pm and weekends 12pm-5pm. fortunaauction.com
